Page 33 of Bridles and Bribery

“Because we were supposed to be on our honeymoon,” she sighed. “A better wife would’ve begged him not to take the case, right?”

“Baloney,” he said flatly. “You and Dave are a perfect match. You understand him in ways nobody has ever?—”

“Nobody except you,” she cut in remorsefully. “I want you to be flat out honest with me. If I wasn’t in the picture, would you have encouraged him to take the case?”

He gave a dry bark of laughter. “Dave and I have never made a habit of telling each other what to do. We just have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

“And now he can’t be reached.” She sounded like she was still blaming herself for it, which made him feel guilty. Unfortunately, he was powerless to do anything about it while he was stuck sitting on the sidelines. Before he’d retired from the police department, he’d had access tonetworks and resources he could’ve used to help ensure Jillian’s safety. Instead, he was standing here, exercising his wishful thinking skills.

All he really had to offer her at the moment were empty assurances, but she was too smart for that. “Listen, Jillian.” He drew a deep breath. “I’m gonna find a way to get in touch with him.” Because Bliss was also pregnant, he genuinely understood how badly Jillian needed to hear her husband’s voice again.

“Thank you, Gil.” There was a sobbing catch to her words. “I hate to keep bothering you like this, but?—”

“You’re not.” No way was he going to let her continue beating herself up over that. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Dave probably told you to call me if you couldn’t reach him.”

“He did,” she admitted. “But y’all are pregnant with twins, and I know you have a lot on your plate, too.”

“Bliss is fine,” he growled. “She’s busy designing a museum, and I’m bored out of my mind.” He was ready to put his gloves back on and dig into the trenches. “Tell you what, I’m gonna reach out to Lonestar Security today and use every resource they have available to get in touch with Dave. I’ll call you back as soon as I know anything.”

“Thank you,” she sighed. “For everything.” As she disconnected the line, he got the distinct impression that she was about to dissolve into a fit of weeping.

Her gratitude toward him made him feel guiltier than ever, since all he’d done was drive a few circles around her place, plus chauffeur her and Eloise to church on Sunday. He could offer her and Dave so much more support if he upped his game.

And he knew the perfect way to do it. He mashed the speed dial button for Josh Hawling, one of his higher-ups atLonestar Security. Josh and his business partner, Decker Kingston, ran the entire operation. They were honest, hardworking guys who’d initially met on the rodeo circuit. They’d quickly become friends and eventually hatched a plan for starting a business together before their bodies were beaten to pieces by bull riding. They had brains, and they had muscle. What they didn’t have were backgrounds in law enforcement.

But I do.That’s why they needed him.

Josh picked up the call. “Hey, Gil! How’s it going?”

“Jillian and I can’t reach Dave.” He’d never been one to beat around the bush. “I know you and Decker have access to resources I probably only dreamed about while serving as a small-town sheriff. I want in,” he confessed. “I want every tool and gadget available to help my friend stay alive while he’s working on his case in Dallas. In return, I’ll do whatever you guys need me to do to grow your company into whatever you want it to be.”

Josh gave a cowboy whoop of victory. “When can you come in and sign the paperwork?”

Gil drew a heavy breath, glancing toward the open office door. “How does right now sound?” Bliss was still chatting away on her video conference call. She didn’t need him breathing down her neck while she was working.Shoot!She’d probably all but forgotten he was still in the house.

“Gil…wow! Thanks!” Josh sounded completely floored. “Now is good. It’s great, actually. I’m ready. We’vebeenready.”

“I know.” Gil was well aware he was the one who’d been dragging his heels on their offer to bring him on as a partner. “I’m sorry it took me so long to make up my mind.”

“I’m not.” Josh’s voice grew serious. “This is a big deal.The fact that you didn’t rush into it makes us respect you all the more. Oh, and Gil?”

“Yep?”

“I like your reason for changing your mind. My hat’s off to you. Dave’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

A smile tugged at Gil’s mouth. “I fully intend to remind him of that the next time I see him.” Or hear from him.

Please, God, let it be soon.

Chapter 6: Loose Thread

Two days earlier

Dave disconnected the call with his wife, inwardly vowing to peel back the layers of the Prophet’s identity as fast as possible so he could return home all the sooner. And while he was at it, he’d do whatever he could to help the Jacobsons out of whatever trouble they were in.

So far, Jan Jacobson hadn’t been very forthcoming over the phone about the details. At first, he’d simply assumed she was in denial about her husband’s suicide. Some people had crazy ways of dealing with their grief, and denial was one of those ways. After his ambush on the airstrip, however, he was concerned there might be more to her claim that it wasn’t, in fact, suicide.

He was about to find out exactly how much more there was to it. A glance at his watch indicated that his cab would arrive in the next five minutes. He bent closer to the mirror mounted on the wall of his extended stay motel room to run a hand over his smooth jaw. He’dstepped out of the shower and shaved only minutes earlier, carefully maneuvering his razor around the jagged scratch running from his left cheekbone to his chin. He must’ve scraped it on something inside the turboprop plane when he’d tackled the first two gunmen. It gave him an even tougher appearance than his shaved head did. He could only hope his business suit and dress shirt toned it down a bit. He didn’t want to scare the Jacobsons the first time he’d laid eyes on them in over twenty-five years.

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